Awakened
by teamlucyy
Summary: It's 2 years after Aria has graduated high school, she's still in a relationship with Ezra. Little do they know about all of the surprises that await them and all the hurdles they'll have to jump over.
1. Chapter 1

"She's so beautiful, just like her mom." Spencer Hastings was standing in Aria and Ezra's apartment looking down at a miniature version of Aria. Spencer had been somewhat of a mom to Kylie, although she knew no one could ever replace Aria. The apartment was almost like a home to Spencer now. Ever since the accident that had changed all their lives forever.

Ezra looked at his daughter and smiled. "Isn't she?" Every time Ezra Fitz stared into his daughters eyes, all he could see was her mom. She looked like a mini Aria, with the same green eyes and brown hair. Even though she was only 3 months old, Ezra knew she would be a heart breaker someday.

"We better get going if we want to see Aria before the hospital closes." Spencer picked Kylie up and placed her in her car seat. Every time she and Ezra went to the hospital, Spencer could see the pain in his eyes. It always reminded her of the phone call she got late one night that changed everything.

_Spencer remembered every detail of that night. Waiting in Aria and Ezra's apartment with Hanna and Emily. It had been 3 hours and they still hadn't come home. Spencer made the decision to drive to the hospital. She panicked when she learned they had left the hospital 4 hours ago. The worst moment of that night was when her phone rang and it was Aria's mom. Learning Aria, Ezra and their newborn daughter had just been in a car accident was too much for Spencer to handle. What she didn't know was that the next few months would be much more difficult to endure._

_The next day Spencer learned Ezra and the baby were fine. Aria wasn't so lucky. Spencer was good at keeping in her emotions, but the second she heard the doctor put "Aria" and "coma" in the same sentence, she lost it. Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Ezra sat crying in silence for almost 2 hours before realizing Kylie was up and making noises. Hearing the noises his daughter was making forced Ezra to realize the reality of the situation he was in. He was a father to a newborn daughter less than a day old and the love of his life was barely holding onto her life. _

Spencer knew that even though 3 months had passed since that day, Ezra still blamed himself for what happened to Aria. He couldn't let go of the fact that he was driving the car and that maybe if he had done something differently, Aria would be with him and Kylie and not in a hospital bed.

Ezra tried to visit Aria at least once a day. Even though he was thankful she was still alive, every time he saw her lying in the bed, unable to speak or even look at him, his heart ached for her. He pleaded with god everyday for a miracle. He was longing to see her looking up at him with that sparkle in her eyes. He knew Kylie was a blessing. He knew he had to take care of her. Seeing Kylie looking up at him was the best feeling and Ezra wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. She was the light of his life, his little girl, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

Ezra was also thankful to have Aria's friends. They had helped him through the most difficult time in his life. Not only were they always there for Aria, they were also there for him. Taking care of Kylie, driving to the hospital, meeting with Aria's doctor and keeping him optimistic.

Ezra was sitting on a chair beside Aria's bed, holding her hand. Kylie was asleep in her car seat next to him. At that second, Hanna and Emily walked in, immediately walking over to Kylie.

Emily turned to Ezra, feeling she should say something before gushing over the baby. "Hey Ezra. How are you?"

Ezra did his best to put a smile on his face. "I've had better days."

As soon as Kylie's eyes opened, Hanna picked her up out of the seat. Emily gave her a look before turning back to Ezra, "Don't mind her. She's just been missing Kylie. Anything new with Aria?"

Ezra shook his head as he felt his eyes begin to water. "Nothing, it's been weeks and nothing has changed."

Hanna turned to him, still holding Kylie. "It will soon, it has too."

"It should've been me." Even though Ezra said it as barely even a whisper, it was loud enough for Hanna and Emily to hear.

"Don't think like that." Emily knew Ezra had been blaming himself since the accident, she just didn't know how to make him feel better.

"It's true. It was all my fault. I-" At that moment Ezra felt something move in his hand. Hanna and Emily shot each other a look and the room filled with silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Ezra froze as he felt Aria's hand moving within his own. Was she really awake? Or was this just a dream he would wake up from at any moment? When he heard Emily screaming he knew there was no way this could be a dream. Without another thought, Ezra jumped up from the chair he was sitting in and ran to get the nearest doctor.

Hanna looked at Emily who still appeared to be in shock. "Do you think she's really awake?"

Emily was in her own little world. She was so busy hoping and praying for Aria to wake up that she didn't even notice Hanna was speaking to her. "Em?"

"What? Oh sorry, I was just thinking about-"

"Aria? I know. Me too. Do you think she's really awake?"

Emily glanced out the door and noticed Ezra was practically running down the hospital halls with a doctor following behind him. "I guess we're about to find out."

The doctor walked over to Aria and examined her, Emily, Hanna and Ezra watching close behind. He then turned to Ezra and said, "I'm sorry sir, but she hasn't woken up."

Ezra felt his heart sink. She moved. Her hand moved in his and the doctor was telling him she wasn't awake? Ezra was starting to believe that this was his worst nightmare coming to life. Now he was just waiting for that moment when he would wake up, look over and see Aria sleeping beside him. He was starting to realize the reality of the fact that he might never see Aria sleeping beside him, looking at him or even moving ever again. There were so many moments Ezra felt he was coming close to losing it. He did his best to hold it together. He knew he had to be strong not only for Aria, but also for Kylie.

Hanna placed Kylie back in her seat, realizing after the news they had just received, Ezra probably needed to be alone. Emily walked over to Ezra not knowing what she could say to help the situation. "She'll be ok. Just don't give up."

Later that night after Ezra put Kylie to sleep, he found himself sitting on the couch looking at old pictures. Seeing pictures of him and Aria when she was pregnant brought tears to his eyes. Remembering how happy and glowing she was for those 9 months. It had been one of the best times of his whole life and he still couldn't believe what was happening now. He never thought this is where he would be 3 months after he had a baby with the love of his life.

The next few weeks followed the same daily routine. Taking care of Kylie and visiting Aria. One afternoon he heard a knock on the door and was shocked to find Aria's mom standing outside his door. "Hello Mrs. Montgomery. What can I do for you?"

"Ella. Please. We're family now right?"

Ezra gave her a questioning look. Family wasn't exactly the word he would use to describe their relationship, considering how furious she had been when she learned Aria was pregnant and that she and Ezra hadn't spoken since then. "May I come in?"

"I guess so. So what brings you here Ella?"

Ella could tell by the tone of Ezra's voice that he was not in the mood to talk to her, much less have her standing in his apartment. "I heard about what happened. Aria almost waking up a few weeks ago and I wanted to make sure you were ok. You and Kylie. I know you must angry about what I said when I found out Aria was pregnant and you need to know I was only trying to protect her."

"I understand. Let's not discuss this anymore. There are more important things happening right now and that's all in the past. Would you like to see Kylie?"

Ella smiled at him. She hadn't seen her granddaughter since she was born and after the accident, she didn't know if Ezra would ever let her visit. "Of course." They walked over to where Kylie was playing with some toys. Now 4 months old, she was talking more and more. When Ezra came into her view, she pointed at him and screamed, "DADA". Ezra smiled and picked her up. Hearing his daughter say that word was a feeling he could never describe to anyone else. Ezra smiled at Ella as he passed Kylie to her.

Ella was shocked at the resemblance between her daughter and her granddaughter. "So, how have you been?" Ezra was sick of people asking him how he was. There were no words to describe how much pain he felt on a daily basis and he wished people would distract him from it, not bring it up as a topic of conversation. "I've been ok under the circumstances."

Ella noticed Kylie starting to fall asleep and handed her back to Ezra. "I'll be right back, I'm going to put her in her crib." As Ella looked around, she noticed all the photos of Aria, Ezra and Kylie that filled the apartment. She couldn't stop thinking about those harsh words she had spoken to Aria when she found out she was pregnant. She regretted those words now more than ever.

When Ezra returned, Ella decided now was the time to ask him about the accident. Knowing it was a delicate situation, she tried to decide the best way to approach him. "Kylie is beautiful. She looks just like Aria."

It was hard for Ezra not to smile whenever someone compared Kylie and Aria. "Thank you."

"So, I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about right now, but I had some questions about the acci- that night."

Just as Ezra was about to answer, he heard his phone ringing from the kitchen. His heart stopped as he saw the name on his screen.


	3. Chapter 3

As Ezra hung up the phone he felt as though he was in a dream. His brain wasn't able to form any thoughts. All he could think was _'Is this really happening?'_

When Ezra walked out of the kitchen, Ella couldn't help but notice the look on his face. It was a mix of emotions ranging from surprised to happy to worried. "Ezra is everything ok?"

"That was Aria's doctor on the phone."

Ella's heart dropped. She couldn't deal with anything else happening to Aria. "Oh God. Is everything ok?"

"Yes. She's awake." Ezra paused and had a look that suggested he was trying to process what he was saying. "She's awake."

Ella was speechless. Her baby girl who had been in a coma for months was finally awake. She had been waiting for this day ever since the accident. There were no words to describe the emotions she was feeling.

Ezra was the first to speak. "I want to go see her. I _need_ to go see her, but I have Kylie and she's sleeping. I guess we'll just wait until tomorrow."

"Go."

"Ella are you sure? I mean I-"

"Go Ezra. you've been through so much with Aria and Kylie. I know how much you love them and how much Aria means to you. I'll stay here with Kylie, go see Aria. Just give her my love."

"Thank you. Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to me."

* * *

As Ezra got into his car, he couldn't stop wondering if what was happening was real. He decided he would believe Aria was awake when he actually saw it. That moment when Ezra saw Aria looking up at him with all the love in her eyes he missed seeing every day. That would be the moment he would believe it was real and he could breathe again. As he was driving, the memories of the night of the accident started to go through his mind.

The day Kylie was born had to be one of the best days of Ezra's life. Next to the day he met Aria and the day she told him he was going to be a father. Seeing his daughter smiling at him and lifting her arms up towards him was a feeling that was so wonderful, he couldn't even describe it. He couldn't wait to get his girls home so they could start their lives together. He could only remember bits and pieces of that night. He remembered Aria was still feeling under the weather so he offered to drive. The actual car ride wasn't very clear, all he knew was that Kylie was sleeping soundly, Aria was holding his hand with that adorable smile on her face and he was the happiest he had ever been.

The car had come out of nowhere. One second he was looking at Aria, the next he heard screeching tires, saw lights and everything went dark. How he and Kylie survived and how Aria was so badly injured would always remain a mystery to him. Especially since the car came from his side. There was no way to describe the feeling of being so close to losing the most important people in the world.

Realizing he was now at the hospital, Ezra wiped the tears starting to stream down his face, parked the car and slowly started walking towards Aria's room.

* * *

Hanna, Spencer and Emily were already standing outside her room, whispering and eager to see how Aria was. "Hello girls. Have you seen her yet?"

They shook their heads. Spencer looked at Emily and Hanna as if she was asking for approval to speak first. They gave it. "We were thinking you should be the first one to see her. After all, she loves you more than anything in the world."

"Wow. Thank you. That means a lot. Especially coming from you."

Hanna shot him a smile and suddenly noticed he was alone. "Where's Kylie?"

"Oh, right before I got the call from the doctor, Aria's mom stopped by. She offered to stay with her, she's coming to see Aria tomorrow."

Emily saw the doctor coming towards them and elbowed Spencer.

The doctor walked up and smiled. "This is quite the crowd. Aria must be very popular."

"So, she's awake?" Ezra felt a little stupid asking a question with such an obvious answer, but a part of him needed to hear it from her doctor.

"Yes she's very much awake. We aren't sure how much she really remembers, or if she remembers anything at all, but you're all welcome to visit her. One at a time if you wouldn't mind. We don't want her to become overwhelmed."

"Of course." Spencer turned to Ezra. "Go on, let her know that we're here and we love her."

"Are you sure about this girls?"

Emily let out a little laugh. "Of course we are. Now go!"

Walking into the room, Ezra started to smile. He had been waiting for this moment for such a long time, he couldn't believe it was here. A million things ran through his mind. _'We're going to be a family. Kylie's finally going to have her mom. I'll have my Aria back. I'll get to hold her again. I'll get to see her smile and hear her laugh. We'll be able to talk and cuddle. Hold hands and kiss. This is just the way it's supposed to be.'  
_

Ezra pulled up a chair to the side of his bed and grabbed Aria's hand. _'She looks as gorgeous as ever'. _He took her hand and brushed his lips against it slowly. She started to move and Ezra felt his heart begin to race. As she rolled over and looked into his eyes, Ezra forgot everything else. He forgot about what happened, about the encounter he had just had with her mother, the fact that her best friends were waiting outside to see her and about the fact that they were in a hospital. All thoughts left his mind and he focused on the moment. He couldn't believe he was with Aria again. Looking into her eyes and seeing her beautiful face made everything better. It surprised him that he could even form words. "Aria."

Suddenly the look on Aria's face went from tired to confused. "Who-who are you?"


End file.
